Yankees' Michael Pineda Ejected For Having Foreign Substance On Neck
BOSTON (CBSNewYork) -- Michael Pineda might have gotten away with using pine tar against the Red Sox earlier this month. But his luck ran out Wednesday night.
The Yankees right-hander was tossed in the second inning of Wednesday's game at Fenway Park after Red Sox manager John Farrell alerted umpire Gerry Davis to a dark substance on Pineda's neck. Davis walked to the mound, rubbed his finger on the right side of the pitcher's neck and then ejected him.
The Red Sox were leading 2-0 at the time. Pineda had a rough first inning, allowing two runs on four hits, including a leadoff triple by Grady Sizemore.
Pitching against Boston on April 10, Pineda appeared to have a dark substance on his right hand, photos showed. The Red Sox, however, did not complain to umpires then.
Pineda insisted after that game, in which he took a shutout into the seventh inning, that he only had dirt and sweat on his hand.
"Between the innings, I'm sweating too much, my hand," he said. "I'm putting dirt. I'm grasping the dirt. I'm not using pine tar."
Pineda now faces a 10-game suspension -- or two starts.
The incident adds an asterisk next to an impressive start to Pineda's season. Pineda, 25, who underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in April 2012, entered Wednesday's game with a 2-1 record, 1.00 ERA, 15 strikeouts and three walks.
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